46 PBAGTIGAL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS 



To avoid sowing them too thickly, it is a good plan to sift some dry- 

 sand through fine muslin or a hair sieve, and mix the seeds thoroughly 

 with it. The sand and seeds may then be sown as thinly as possible 

 over the surface, treating the grains of sand as if they were seeds — and 

 the seedlings will as a rule not be so close together as if sown without 

 this artificial aid. 



The sowing of Fern spores has been dealt with separately at 

 p. 1008. 



THINNING OUT SEEDLINGS 



This will be necessary when the seedlings are large enough to handle, 

 so that those intended for bloom will have ample space to fully develop 

 without having had their roots disturbed. Thinning out is best done 

 in dull showery weather when the seeds have been sown in the open 

 air. Failing this, the seed bed should be watered before or after the 

 work. 



PEICKING OUT SEEDLINGS 



This operation is almost equivalent to thinning the seedlings and 

 to transplantation. It consists in transferring the seedlings from pots, 

 pans, or places in which they developed from the seed, to similar 

 receptacles or places, only much further apart according to kind. 

 The plants have thus more room and air and become sturdy. They also 

 produce more fibrous roots, as the removal usually injures the first 

 central main or tap root, and its place must be taken by new fibrous 

 ones developed from the sides. 



Many plants are improved in growth by pricking out or transplanting, 

 but a few are injured by the process, and these are mentioned in their 

 proper places. As a rule it is safer not to transplant or prick out any 

 plants which are grown chiefly for the sake of their tap-roots, such as 

 the Carrot (p. 1128), Parsnip (p. 1129), Turnip (p. 1119), Eadish 

 (p. 1120), Beet &c. (p. 1151). If transplanted very young they may 

 develop fairly regular-shaped roots, but as a rule they do not, hence are 

 usually thinned out in the seed beds instead of being transplanted. 



Hotbeds 



As hotbeds and cold frames are most useful for raising seeds and 

 for many other purposes in the garden, they may be referred to here. 



A hotbed when well made is an extremely useful adjunct to a gar- 

 den, and especially a garden without greenhouses. It may be erected 

 in some out of the way part where its presence is not too noticeable. 

 By its aid all kinds of tender plants may be raised in early spring or 



